Swann Songs
by kmacdonald
Summary: To please her father, Katherine Swann agrees to marry one of his friends, but not before a trip to Jamaica to visit her uncle and beloved cousin. When Elizabeth gets kidnapped, Katherine refuses to leave her rescue up to the men. When she meets Jack Sparrow, will she start to question her impending nuptials? I suck at summaries, please read!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Thank you for taking the time to read this story. I was watching Pirates with my sisters the other day and this just popped into my mind, and then wouldn't leave me alone. Now that I've started to write, it's just pouring out of me. If you like to review, you may just be my new best friend, even if it's a flame. I still like to read them. **

**Also, I am writing several other fanfics of other genres, ones that I have been neglecting horribly. From now on, I am going to work on all of them, and then try my hardest to update every Monday. **

**p.s. I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean. I only own Katherine, her father, Captain Sinclair, and any other character that you don't recognize. **

"Your stitches are sloppy, Miss," Agnes said, hardly looking up from her own embroidery. "Take them out and start again."

"I can't see how it matters," I sighed, setting the piece of linen down in my lap and stretching. "It's not like I'm ever going to actually use this kerchief for anything."

"If the stitches weren't so horrid, then perhaps you could use it," my maid replied. "Now take them out and do it again."

With a low groan, I did as I was told and began to carefully pull all of my stitches out. I had been working on this same kerchief everyday for nearly a week, and I was making no progress. Each time I would start, my stitches would be worse than the time before, and Agnes would tell me to pull them out; I was quickly growing frustrated.

The sound of a carriage pulling up in front of the house caught my attention. I looked up from my needlework and craned my neck to see, but Agnes' sharp voice brought be back.

"It's just your dear father home," she stated. "You wouldn't have him see how little you have done today, would you?"

"No," I replied stiffly. I _had _worked hard at it all day; I just had nothing to show for my work. Instead of arguing with her, I bent my head back to the linen in my lap.

A moment later, the door to my parlour opened, and Thomas walked in.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said with a bow. "His Lordship wishes to see you in his office at your earliest convenience."

Immediately I was out of my chair. I dropped my needlework onto the table beside my chair and hurried towards the door.

"Katherine!" Agnes cried. "Come pick up your stitchery!"

"My father needs me," I replied quickly while I hurried out of the room. "I'll come back for it."

"No you won't, you lazy brat," Agnes muttered darkly. I ignored her and continued down the stairs.

I was surprised when I neared the bottom of the stairs, for I could clearly make out the sound of two male voices coming from inside the study. In all of the years since my mother had died, there had never been any visitors in our home. Instead of rushing into the room, like I normally would have done, I stopped outside the open door and knocked on the jamb.

"Ah, here she is!" my father called jovially. "Come in; come in, my sweet Katherine."

I stepped into the room and saw that there was, indeed, a strange man in a naval uniform sitting with my father at his desk. Both men rose quickly as I entered the room.

"Hello, Father," I smiled brightly at him.

"Come here, my sweetheart," he said, walking around the corner of his desk and embracing me. "I would like for you to meet a dear friend of mine. Katherine, this is Captain George Sinclair."

"Ah, Captain Sinclair," I said, flashing a brilliant smile at him and hold out my hand. "I have heard much about you; it is quite the honour to meet you."

The Captain took my hand and brought it gently to his lips. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Swann, I can assure you."

"Isn't she beautiful, George?" my father asked, returning to his spot behind the desk.

"Absolutely lovely," Captain Sinclair replied, flushing slightly.

"Now, Papa," I smiled demurely. "Stop being so bold; you're making our guest uncomfortable."

"That was not my intention, I assure you," Father chuckled. "Captain Sinclair here will be joining us for dinner this evening, Katherine."

"Are you indeed?" I asked the Captain, still smiling. "Then I suppose I should go and try to make myself presentable. I will see you both at dinner." I gave a small curtsey to each one and left the room.

Agnes was waiting for me at the top of the stairs. "Who is the gentleman with your father?"

"A friend of his," I replied as I walked past her. "Captain George Sinclair."

"A Captain?" Agnes seemed impressed. "There's hasn't been a guest here for nigh on five years; I wonder why he is here."

"He is to join us for dinner," I informed her. "I think I should need your help to get fixed up."

"I should think so," Agnes scoffed, following me to my room. "I would like to see you try it without me."

I rolled my eyes but said nothing; Agnes was grumpy and, at times, overly bold, but she was the closest thing I had to a mother, and I was rather fond of her. And as much as she complained about me, I knew that she cared for me as well.

**PPPPPPPPP**

I descended the stairs promptly at five o'clock, dressed in one of my best gowns. I had objected when Agnes had picked it out of my wardrobe, but she had ignored my protests, as was usual.

"There's no need to dress up this much," I had complained as I held onto the foot of my bed so she could lace me into my corsets. "I am staying in my own home, after all."

"It's not every day that there is a gentleman for dinner," Agnes had replied. "Now hush; these are still too loose."

Father and Captain Sinclair were still in the study when I reached the front landing, so that's where I went.

Captain Sinclair was leaning on the desk, with his back to the door, showing my father something on a map in front of them, so he didn't notice when I entered the room, but Father did. His face changed immediately from the concentrated, wrinkled mask to the bright, beaming face that I knew so well.

"Ah, Katherine," Father said, rising from his chair and holding his hand out to me. "You look lovely, my dear."

"Thank you, Papa," I smiled at him, walking into the room sliding my hand into his. "What is it you are discussing?"

"Aha," Father chuckled. "Now that is nothing you should worry yourself with, my dear. It is simply man talk."

I frowned; Father had never before kept something from me. Perhaps it had something to do with the Captain being present; I knew that many men tried to keep their women as ignorant as possible, but my father wasn't like that in the least. Perhaps he would tell me later, when the Captain left.

"Excuse me, my Lord," Thomas said, standing in the doorway. "Dinner is served."

"Ah, perfect timing," Father said loudly. "Shall we move into the dining room?" He held his arm out to me, which I took, and we made our way out of the study and across the hall to the dining room.

It felt strange sitting at the dining room table; no one had used the room since Mother had died. There had been no reason to, as father and I were the only ones to ever eat here. Typically, we took our meals together in front of the fireplace in his study.

The meal was rather more entertaining that I had thought that it would be. Captain Sinclair and my father told stories about their time together in the Navy, and about court. The Captain thought that it was rather amazing that we lived in London, a mere ten minute carriage ride to St. James Palace, and I had never been to court.

"It never occurred to me to take her," Father replied defensively. "It seems as though yesterday she was a tiny little thing, toddling about the gardens, and now, here she is sitting here, a fine young lady, looking the very image of her mother." I blushed, more from the reminiscing than from the compliments, and bowed my head over my plate. He sighed and shook his head sadly. "How the time flies. Remember that, for your own children, George."

"Oh, have you got children?" I asked, looking for a change of subject. Father had already consumed several glasses of wine, so the subject of my mother would soon bring tears to him.

"Ah, no, I haven't," the Captain said quickly. "I am unfortunate enough to have not yet found a wife."

"Oh," I replied. With a smile, I added, "Well, I'm sure that you will find a very fine woman to wed very soon."

"Thank you, Miss Swann," Captain Sinclair said, bowing slightly to me.

It was fully dark when all of the dishes had finally been cleared from the table.

"Would you like to join me for a cigar?" Father asked the Captain as we all rose from the table. "They are of the very finest tobacco; my brother has sent them from Jamaica."

"I will," Captain Sinclair agreed.

"Are you to retire, my dear?" Father asked me.

"Yes, I believe so," I replied with a smile. "I am rather tired."

"Then good night, my sweet." Father leaned in and kissed my forehead. I smiled at him and turned to Captain Sinclair.

"It was lovely to meet you, Captain," I said, giving a small curtsy and offering him my hand.

"As it was, you, Miss Swann," Captain Sinclair replied. He took my hand and brushed it with his lips. "Until we meet again."

"Good night." I smiled again, and swept out of the room.

Agnes was waiting for me in my room. I went to her immediately, and turned so she could undo my laces.

"How was it?" she asked as she began to untie my bodice.

"It was lovely," I replied.

"What is the Captain like?"

"He seems like a very nice gentleman," I replied. "He seems to be a rather good friend of Father's."

"Is he handsome?"

I scoffed at her; of course that was what she was thinking. "I suppose so."

"What do you mean, you suppose so?" she snapped, jerking my bodice down a little too roughly. "Either the man is handsome, or he is not. Make up your mind."

"Well, yes," I replied. "I suppose he's handsome enough. He's tall, and had dark hair. He's quite amiable."

Agnes snorted as she finished untying my corset. "As though that's what matters," she said, pulling the corset off and laying them on the bed. She handed me my nightgown. "Here, put this on."

I did as she said and then moved to sit on the bench in front of my mirror. Agnes followed, and picked up the brush. This was my favorite part of the day; I was certainly old enough to brush my own hair, but it was so much more relaxing when Agnes did it for me.

"So he's handsome enough," Agnes said as she began to run the brush through my hair. I closed my eyes in pure bliss. "And he's a Captain; he's well respected. And he's more than likely got money."

She paused in her brushing to make sure that I wasn't completely ignoring her. I wasn't really paying attention, but I gave a small murmur to make her think that I was.

"So," she continued. "He would make a lovely husband for you, Miss."

"What?" My eyes snapped open and I pulled away from her. I turned in my seat to look up at her. "Agnes, he's old! He's got to be nearly as old as Papa is."

"That matters not," Agnes replied, turning me back around with a firm grip on my shoulder. "It would be a fine match."

"But he's old!" I repeated irritably. "Father would never marry me off to someone whom I didn't care for."

"Alright, Miss," Agnes said in her 'soothing' voice; it only made me angrier. "Let's not get worked up over it tonight. You've just met the man."

She resumed her brushing, but I was unable to find and pleasure in it. After the hundredth stroke, she quickly wove my hair into a thick plait that hung well down my back and tied it with a silk ribbon. I knelt by the bed to say my prayers, and then climbed into my warm bed and fell into a restless slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews. It was really nice to see that people were enjoying the story already. I know I said that I would be updating every Monday, and I'm sorry that I messed up. I have a stupid computer that likes to choose which days to work properly. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last one, and I will definitely have another one up on Monday. Again, reviews are very nice to receive. **

**I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Although I wouldn't say no to a certain captain if you offered him to me. **

I nearly cried the next morning when Agnes insisted that I get out of bed. I hadn't slept a wink the night before; the idea of my father trying to marry me off to some rich old man had sunk into my brain as was constantly poking at me. I finally fell into a restless slumber as the sun was beginning to peak through my closed curtains. I tried to explain this to Agnes, but she did not care.

"Do you think I sleep well every night?" she asked grumpily. "No, I don't, but I still get up and go about my day. And so will you."

"My day never consists of anything worth getting out of bed for!" I cried, pulling the pillow over my face to block out the sun. "I might as well just stay here."

"Today might be different, Miss," Agnes stated. "You never know what the day will hold until you get up to face it. Now, get out of bed!"

She ripped the blankets back, and I cringed as the chilly morning air assaulted my bare legs. Using my hand, I searched for the blankets to pull them back up, but I found nothing.

"I mean it, Miss Swann," Agnes said from across the room. "Get out of that bed, or I will be forced to go and fetch your father."

I ripped the pillow off my face and sat up. "Is he still here?" I asked in surprise. Father was never home when I rose in the mornings; he always left for the docks very early.

"Yes, he is," Agnes replied. "He has made plans for the two of you for the day."

Immediately, I jumped out of the bed. Other than church on Sundays, I rarely left the house, and never with my father. Agnes and Thomas accompanied me on the occasional shopping trips in his stead.

"What are we doing?" I asked as I sat myself down at the mirror and began to untie my own braid.

"I believe Mr. Swann is taking you to the docks with him, today," Agnes sniffed, obviously not approving of my father's plans.

"He's taking me to the docks?" I questioned, setting the brush in my lap and turning to face my maid. "He's never taken me to the docks with him before."

Agnes didn't reply, but instead pulled out a brown, silk gown with cream lace. She shook it out and studied it for a moment, and then nodded to herself and brought it to the bed, where she laid it out with my undergarments.

"Here, give me that," she said, taking the brush from me. "We haven't got much time; your father will be getting impatient."

Ignoring my yelps of pain, Agnes quickly pulled the brush through my long hair and began to twist it up into a complicated knot at the top of my head and pinned it there with several hairpins. Then she stood me up and led me to the bed, where she began to strip my night clothes off of my body. The fire hadn't been lit, and the room was chilled from the damp mist outside. My skin was instantly covered in goose bumps and I shivered.

"Why is the fire not started?" I asked, wrapping my arms around my chest. "It's freezing in here."

"It's May," Agnes replied. "There is no need for a fire."

"I don't care what month it is," I grumbled. "Look at me; if there was no need for a fire, than I would not look like this."

"Drop your arms, Miss," Agnes said, ignoring me.

I did as she said, and she pulled a fresh shift down over my head. Hurriedly, I slipped my arms into the armholes, and she tied up the neck. I was still cold, but at least my skin was covered. Next was the corset. Agnes wrapped it around me, and then I turned to the bed and grabbed a hold of the foot board. Agnes began pulling the strings, hard.

"Not too tight today, Agnes," I gasped as she pulled on the strings. "I will be walking around the docks with my father and his men; there is no one to impress."

"Captain Sinclair may well be there, Miss," Agnes replied, pulling the strings even tighter. "You'd like to impress him, would you not?"

I rolled my eyes, but didn't say another word. I was too tired to waste energy on arguing with her, and any protest I made would be ignored, in any case. I held on to the bed and tried to expand my lungs as much as possible, to give myself room to breathe later.

Agnes quickly helped me into the rest of my clothing, and then stood back to admire her work. She smiled approvingly, something she rarely did.

"You look lovely," she stated. "But you need a hat."

"I hate hats," I groaned.

"Every proper lady wears a hat when she is in public," Agnes said firmly, opening the bottom drawer of my wardrobe. She looked around for a moment, pulling out box after box until she found the one she was looking for. She opened the box and pulled out a hat that I had bought several months ago, but hadn't had the chance to wear it. It was brown, almost the exact shade of my gown, and decorated with ostrich feathers. "There, this one is perfect."

"Yes, it is."

I sat on the bench so Agnes could place the hat atop my head and pin it snugly. Then she picked up the bottle of perfume and sprayed me with the sweet scent of wild roses.

"There," she said finally. "You're ready."

I nodded. "Let's go."

I followed Agnes out of my bedroom and down the stairs to the study. Father was inside, sitting at his desk, reading something with great interest. He didn't even notice that I was there until I cleared my throat.

"Ah, Katherine," he smiled, quickly clearing away all of the papers on his desk and slipping them into a drawer. "You look lovely, my dear."

"Thank you, Father," I replied with a smile. "Are we really going to the docks?"

"Yes, my sweet, we are." Father closed the desk drawer with a snap, and then locked it. I frowned; nothing was ever kept a secret in our home. I wondered what could be so important. "I thought that you might enjoy a day out of the house; that you might like to see my ships."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "What is this really about, Father?"

He sighed and smiled at me ruefully. "It is high time that I start showing off the rare beauty that I have kept hidden behind these stone walls for so long. You have turned into a stunningly beautiful young woman, Katherine, almost overnight. I hadn't even noticed until Captain Sinclair joined us for dinner last night. You are no longer my sweet little girl." As he looked at me, I could see the tears starting to swim in his eyes.

"Father," I said quickly, stepping further into the room. "I will always be your little girl. You know that."

He smiled up at me. "Of course, Sweetheart." He cleared his throat loudly and stood up quickly. "We must leave; Johnson will be waiting for us."

"Earl?" I asked excitedly, beaming up at him. "I haven't seen Earl in years; I didn't know that he still worked for you."

"I wouldn't easily lose a man like that," Father said, taking his top coat off the hook by the door and reaching for his cap. "Do you not have a shawl?"

"I have it here, Miss," Agnes said, walking down the stairs with a finely embroidered shawl in her hands. "We wouldn't want you to catch a cold now, would we?"

"No, we wouldn't," Father replied. "Thanks you, Mrs. Hamm. Let's go, Katherine; the coach is waiting."

I smiled at his formality with Agnes, and followed him out of the house.

I wasn't overly fond of riding by carriage. Horses are big, willful animals, and I didn't trust them, and the ride was always very bumpy, jarring my spine with every pothole that we hit. We hit one particularly large hole just as I had half-stood to straighten out the skirts that were twisted under me, and I was tossed right out of my seat and into my father's lap.

"Goodness!" I cried out as I landed on him with a thump. "I'm sorry, Father."

"That is all well," he replied with a chuckle. "But you do know that you shouldn't stand while the carriage is moving."

"I do now," I replied grumpily as I carefully slid back across the coach and into my own seat. I lifted the front of my skirts to shake out the wrinkles.

"Good gracious, Katherine!" Father exclaimed. "What are you wearing on your feet?"

I stopped with my primping and looked down at the toes of my brown leather boots that were peeking out from underneath my skirts. "Shoes," I replied.

"You couldn't find anything a bit prettier?" he asked.

"These are more comfortable," I replied, shrugging. "And they are much better for walking in."

"I hardly think that we will be doing much walking around," he chuckled. "There isn't too much at the shipyard that will be of interest to you."

I wondered, vaguely, why he was taking me if he didn't think that I would be interested, but another large bump pushed that thought from my mind. "We could get out and walk the rest of the way," I said, putting a hand to my back. "It can't be too much farther."

"I think not!" Father cried, sounding completely outraged. "Look out the window, Katherine, and tell me what you see."

I hesitated for a moment, and then with a nod from him, slid to the covered window and pulled the curtain back. I was shocked. We were barely a ten minute carriage ride away from our home, but the London that I was now seeing was nothing like the beautifully built manors and townhouses that I was used to. The buildings were made mostly from wood, with thatched roofs. The cobbled roads that I had thought dirty at home were nothing compared to the roads that we were now traveling on; they were piled with straw that was covered with manure, and, judging from the smell that was now wafting through the open window, I was not entirely sure that it all belonged to the animals that were being herded through the streets. The people themselves were filthy and very rough-looking; if I was being honest with myself, I was scared.

I closed the curtain and leaned back against the padded seat, looking at my father. He looked back at me from his seat, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Do you still want to walk the rest of the way?" he asked.

"No," I replied quickly. "No, the carriage is perfectly lovely."

He nodded and looked down at his hands folded in his lap. I was still stunned by what I had seen; how could my home be so close to something like that, and I had never known that it existed?

Neither of us spoke again until the carriage stopped abruptly, knocking me out of my thoughts. I finally became aware of the noise as the door was opened. A small, blonde, well-dressed man stood there, looking in on us.

"Good morning, sir," Earl Johnson stated formally as my father climbed down out of the carriage. "And to you as well, Miss Swann."

"Hello, Earl," I said cheerfully, taking his hand as he helped me down from the carriage. "It is lovely to see you again."

"And you, Miss Swann." My father's assistant bowed quickly to me, and then turned to my father. "_King George's Pride _is scheduled to dock this afternoon, sir. Shall I ready the cargo?"

"No," Father replied. "I have other plans for the _Pride_, Johnson. Have her scrubbed well when she's unloaded."

"Yes sir. Good day, Miss Swan." The man gave another small bow and stalked off towards the docks. 

"Really, Katherine!" Father admonished, taking me by the arm and leading me to a large, dumpy-looking building off to the side. "You are too bold; calling a man by his first name."

I was surprised. "I have always called him Earl."

"Yes, when you were a small child," Father said. He opened the door and led me through the building. I was surprised, and relieved, to see that it was much cleaner on the inside than it was on the outside, and fairly well decorated, as well. "You are not a child anymore, Katherine, and you must not act like one. A fine young lady is what you are, so start acting like one."

Father had never spoken to me so sharply before, and I was hurt. I didn't say another word as he led me through the building and up a set of stairs to a small office at the very back. It looked much like his office at home, but smaller and the furnishings were not as fine. Also, there was a small table in front of a large window that looked down onto the street, and it was set for three.

"What is this?" I asked, looking at the table.

"I thought that we could have an early lunch together," Father replied. He let go of my arm and hurried to his desk, where he started putting away the pile of letters and maps that were sitting on top of it. "Blast that man. I told Johnson that I wanted these put away before we arrived."

"What are they?" I asked, picking up a letter. A second later, it was snatched from my hand.

"They are nothing to worry yourself with," Father said firmly, tucking the letter into a drawer with the rest of them. "The captain should be here soon; I'll run to check if dinner is ready. You stay here."

The captain; it must be Captain Sinclair that he spoke of, but why would-?

"Good morning, Miss Swann."

The captain's deep voice startled me, and I spun on my heel, a hand to my chest. "Heavens, Captain," I said breathlessly. "You scared me."

"Forgive me, Miss, it was not my intention," he replied with a bow. He stepped further into the room and looked around. "Where is your father? I would not think that Mr. Swann would leave his daughter alone and unattended."

"He didn't," I assured him. "He has just gone down to the kitchens to talk to the cook. He should be returning in just a moment. Would you like to take a seat?"

I knew that the Captain had more than likely been in this office several times, much more than I had, but it seemed rude not to offer him a seat, and it didn't want to disappoint my father any more than I already had. He took my offer and settled himself into one of the chairs in front of the desk; I followed suit and sat in the one beside him. Captain Sinclair sat straight in his chair, looking out the window and not saying a word. After a few minutes, I couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"It is a lovely day," I said, following his gaze out the window to where a heavy mist was beginning to fall. "It's not raining too heavily, yet, anyway."

"No, it is not," Captain Sinclair agreed, still not looking at me. "A lovely day, indeed."

Silence fell upon the room again, only to be broken by the sound of my father's arrival.

"Cook says everything should be ready in about twenty minutes, Katherine," he said, striding purposefully into the room. "Meanwhile, we shall wait for – ah! Captain; you've arrived."

"Good morning to you, sir," Captain Sinclair said, standing up.

"I trust you haven't been here long?" Father said, walking around his desk and taking a seat in his chair.

"No, I have just arrived," Captain Sinclair assured him. "Miss Swann has been kind enough to entertain me while we waited for your return."

"Has she, now?" Father turned to me with an approving smile. He opened his mouth to speak again, but a sudden commotion on the docks outside interrupted. He frowned and peered out the window, but could see nothing but for people rushing past. "What in the Devil is going on out there?"

He was answered by a deep, hollow, echoing boom, loud enough to shake the windows. I had no idea what it was, but apparently both my father and Captain Sinclair did, because both jumped from their seats immediately, looking concerned.

"What is it?" I asked, beginning to rise from my seat.

"No, you stay here, Katherine," Father said quickly. "I should be back in just a few moments."

Both men rushed from the room, leaving me sitting in the office all alone.


End file.
